if you can't even verify it, why opt out? :-)

Prior to Ghostie's message, my PC was like sludge. Now it isn't.

How can I do this on my own?

You don't need to. If you're out you're out, you're out.

Oh Buddha.....

Kestas opted me out upon my request recently. I must have updated(or something...)because I was clearly being affected by it again. When TGM opted me out again, the change was instantaneous.

So, you're wrong 'squidge.

What is Plura?

I saw you be opted out in the logs, and you have a point. But you don't get opted back in, so there must have been someone who removed you from it for some reason.

Plura is a little java applet that runs in the background when you use the site. Its a distributed processor and the owners pay a little bit of money towards the site when it's used. So, your computer does a few calculations for them and they give money which pays for the site.
Overall, think of it as your contribution towards the running of the site

May I opt out? I would normally be willing to accept it, especially since it helps pay for the site, but I frequently log on from computers at a library, and they don't have Java installed (or maybe it's an older version; IDK), and they crash half the time. It's really annoying.

Argh, go on you persuaded me :)
Won't be doing any more later today, I'm off now.

If you're running Firefox, apparently AdBlock will nail Plura because it uses the term "affiliate" in the URL. I actually wouldn't mind running it, but from an earlier thread I realized I wasn't and it turns out AdBlock is the reason.

This opt-out thread is interesting given that I've disabled Plura for everyone, and it has been disabled for the last couple of days, due to a Firefox update not working well with it (for some people)

I'm glad your computer went from sludge to normal during the period TGM posted his message, but you weren't running Plura before and you're not running Plura now: No-one is running it, and as TGM and fig said you wouldn't be running it anyway because I opted you out when you asked 2-3 days ago.

This page is paid for mainly by those who continue to run it (most of them probably without even noticing it), is it really such "nonsense" to donate processor cycles? :-/

Go figure. Chalk another up to placebo.

I swear. The green M&Ms had an effect.

OK. Thanks for the attention to this complaint. I'm thinking of being a Windows 7 guinea pig. Any comments for or against this enterprise?

I was looking at Plura for another project and it runs just fine under Windows 7. I'm also trying to work out the best way to convince AdBlock to ignore it, while not losing the affiliate filtering.

Sent from: kestasjk (129 ) Sent: 02:32 AM...This page is paid for mainly by those who continue to run it (most of them probably without even noticing it), is it really such "nonsense" to donate processor cycles? :-/
===================================================
If it is truly a donation, a conscious charitable gift, then it is not nonsense. Are you asserting that any significant percentage of the members here are aware of this? If so, and if this is clearly indicated anywhere on this site, then I apologize for stirring up any acrimony. If not, then I eagerly await your reply.

Well, right before it was first introduced, there was a large forum topic dedicated to debating it, and there was overwhelming support for the applet. Otherwise, it's displayed at the bottom of every page when it's on.

It needs to be clearly explained on introductory pages, such as rules, FAQ, and such, where new members could easily decide whether or not they overwhelmingly support it.

Certainly, you EVOLVED people cannot be in opposition to full disclosure, clarity, and choice.

Can you?

I agree with you on the disclosure mapleleaf, and that's something I've been saying for some time. I have no problem with running it, but I think most people who sign up don't know it's there or what it is. Every SINGLE time the subject comes up in the forum at least one or two people pop in and ask what it is. It's obviously not all THAT well known.

Besides, many, if not most, players on the site don't even read the forums. Letting them know what it is and what it's all about when they sign up seems only fair, (especially once they have the option to opt in/out).

I'm just playing devils advocate here, but if someone doesn't notice why should they be told? I'm not saying the information should be hidden but if they don't notice it then surely everyone wins...
(well, I'm not *just*, I do kinda think that, but I'm not sure to what degree)

OK, so if you don't notice me siphoning gas out of your car, why should you be told. They are MY cycles on MY computer and to do anything with them without my permission is THEFT.

P.S. I have Java turned off as I don't like Plura at all and I don't allow any process to run on my computer that didn't ASK me first from ANY website.

But it's entirely possible for it to be detrimental to people (ie slowing down computer, causing crashes in browsers etc) without them knowing what's causing the problem.

Besides, why NOT tell people about it explicitly?

I'm not nearly as paranoid as Draugnar but do agree that it should at least be made clear when you sign up what the deal is. If someone doesn't want to be involved then they can make a decision right there.

I've said it before, but this opt-out is actually against the CanSPAM act which has a section about running anything on a users computer without them opting-in or not providing reasonable notification, which this site clearly does NOT do or the topic would come up every 2 or 3 months, and an easy and automated measn to opt-out, which this site ALSO does not do. I have made it a big issue because the origins of the site or essentially in Australia, although it is hosted in the US (else it wouldn't be a .net site). But the fact is, Kestas is making money by stealing cycles from unaware people and it is theft just as much as if I went into his garage and siphoned off a cup of gas everytime he parked his car and recharged my phone from his car battery. It is no different.

Draugnar, I'll ask you now.

Would you like to help us support the website by running the applet?

No. I will donate to the website when I have spare cash, but I have researched the applet in quesiton and there is some issues to it's "unobtrusiveness" as well as it's potential for abuse by worms and the like.

I'm really confused, This applet thing is confusing, i don't know computers, any chance someone could explain it for me in 'stupid person' language? I'm reeealllyy intrigued!

"potential for abuse by worms"

It is sandboxed...

Again, I'm not as worried about it or even as angry about it as Draugnar (though let's be honest, few people are ever as angry as Draugnar about any given issue ;) ), I do think a simple explanation and disclosure in the FAQ and when you sign up is appropriate.

I'm happy to run it, and it's never caused problems for me, but I still think it should be explicitly explained and disclosed.

Again I ask why NOT explain it and disclose it explicitly?

when you run task manager what would the plura applet come up as or is it masked from your service overview?

and even though plura "steals" your cycles doesnt it only do so when you are on the site? so the easiest solution(besides opting out) is to just get off the site when you arent using it.

"it is theft just as much as if I went into his garage and siphoned off a cup of gas everytime he parked his car and recharged my phone from his car battery. It is no different."

That is not a fair analogy.

It is theft as much as if he used the hot water left after I boiled too much water would be closer to the truth.

WhiteSammy:

It is a Java applet, so comes under Java.

draugnar...
your analogy also involves breaking and entering so i would suggest maybe a public park

@TheGhostmaker - I agree it's not the best analogy, but the real point is that people should have the option, and should be told enough to know they have the option.

Ghost...
i kinda meant the name it would come up as
i know its java but what is the image name it shows up as under the task manager

I don't think it would show up as a separate process in the task manager.

@WhiteSammy - or I could have said his driveway. Or the parking lot at his apartment complex or his work.

@Ghosty... OK, but you paid for the water to begin with (I pay MY water bill) and paid for whatever heated it (gas or electric).

It will not be visible as a separate entry in task manager, any more than any other component embedded into a web page (such as a Flash advertisement) can be seen in task manager.

Do you guys also get up in arms about the advertisements on, say, the Wall Street Journal website? After all, those Flash objects are eating up processor time (vastly more than the Plura applet) and the site owner is being paid for it (and certainly quite a lot more).

And as I posted earlier, if you're really upset about it, load AdBlock Plus into Firefox and it'll simply stop being loaded (if/when it comes back).

The whole point is that it's a way of supporting the site without people noticing it. If there was a banner at the top of every page people would notice it, but would that be an improvement?

This thread is a perfect demonstration of Plura's efficacy and unobtrusiveness; if it's a way of making small amounts of money, with an icon which is displayed on every page but is otherwise so unobtrusive that *people imagine it when it isn't there* then that seems perfect to me.


The reason we don't have big "Warning! Danger! Your computer is about to run an applet that will support the site" message is because then it sounds like something dangerous, when it isn't at all.

Should I also add a big "Warning! Danger! This site will store cookies on your computer!" message on registration? Of course not; cookies are harmless and a warning message only makes them sound dangerous..

Same goes for our use of Google Analytics to monitor trends in site usage, or how we log IP addresses to detect multi-accounters; a big warning message could make these things sound scary to a layperson when they're actually harmless and beneficial to everyone.

Even though someone with enough imagination could think of how analytics might spread deadly computer-plague and cookies could invade your privacy and rape your mind, no sites warn users about it as warnings would only validate baseless fears.


Also if using your computer cycles is "theft" then storing cookies is "theft" of your hard-disk space, ads are "theft" of your LCD screen's viewing area. (And a donation button in the FAQ is probably "assault" by the same logic)
Calling me a thief for using Plura to make the site pay for itself in an unobtrusive way is completely absurd.

If you don't like the applet we remove it for you, or you can remove it yourself. We don't force anyone to do anything and we don't try and cover up its existence except to the extent that we make it unobtrusive. (There is an icon displayed on every page it runs on, after all).
Thanks again to everyone who runs it for helping keep this site up. To those who don't; that's fine, but don't claim I'm doing something underhanded or misleading anyone.

I'm not suggesting that there be a big banner at the top of every page or anything like that. Just a mention in the FAQ maybe an answer to the question "I've noticed a little "Plura Processing" button at the bottom of pages. What's up with that?" Then you explain what it is ("a way for the site to generate income without advertising or subscriptions, using a sandboxed java applet that does some processing for a company called plura. If it causes problems for you you can turn it off by doing X"), and that's it.

Why is that so hard or absurd? I'm not as worried about "theft" or anything like that, though obviously it does bother some people, but you yourself have said that it can sometimes cause problems for some users (evidently with the newest version of FF for example), so why not give people an easy way to maybe figure out what might be causing crashes or whatever or them?

You're already planning on giving people a way to turn it off themselves in the next version, why not explain what the hell it is too?

As I've said I have no problem with the applet, and am happy to run it, but I also know what it is, and if it started causing problems would have some idea that it might be the source of said problems.

"Do you guys also get up in arms about the advertisements on, say, the Wall Street Journal website? After all, those Flash objects are eating up processor time (vastly more than the Plura applet) and the site owner is being paid for it (and certainly quite a lot more)." Excellent point.

I'd say DrOct has a reasonable plan.

@dangermouse - i'm not one of those people, but with things like adblock... clearly some people do get upset about those flash advertisements!

I think we should:
1) Put a notice about it during signup
2) Add an option to turn it on/off manually
3) All leave it on.

Draug: Your analogy would be more suitable if he took a small amount of gas (hehe, Americanisms) from your car whenever it was parked in HIS parking lot. You are making use of a service he is providing, and he is taking something minor in response.

Also, I think you're being very unfair in trying to make the site seem like the bad guy - as you said you've blocked it from you anyway so it doesn't effect you at all.

Maybe, to avoid problems, in one of the next versions there could be a box in the settings saying something like "I want to support the site by running Plura".

Anyway, here it has never worked, unfortunately. I'd be glad to be able to run it.